The award recognizes Watson for the quality, evidence, contributions and dissemination of her decades of research which has focused on understanding and improving the experience of older persons living in residential long-term care (LTC). Since the 1970’s, Watson has worked on improving the quality of that care, especially for individuals with dementia, and has been dedicated to translating her research into practice.

Specifically, Watson’s multi-site research includes being the first to document the shift in nursing homes from primarily being “rest” homes to caring for persons with significant behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. This recognition led to a major new direction in nursing home research. She developed a better understanding of acute episodes of agitation and emotional distress related to dementia from the perspective of the person experiencing them. In addition to developing the first guidelines for antibiotic use in LTC, she identified the nature of acute conditions experienced in LTC; improved the understanding, evaluation and care of urinary incontinence in LTC; described and evaluated the trajectory of symptoms of persons with dementia at the end of life in LTC; and detailed significant problems with oral care in LTC. Her internationally recognized work with University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing Professor Thelma Wells, Ph.D., R.N., focused on effectively improving the psychological well-being of persons with dementia through rocking chair therapy.